What does beer taste like?

It’s a simple enough question. But most people who drink it would struggle to expand on “Well... like beer.”

Traditionally, this was part of why beer was never taken as seriously as wine. For the past decade, small craft brewers in Britain have been trying to change that, with mixed results. We’ve had aromatic citrusy IPAs, Belgian-style fruited sour beers, and dense, bourbon barrel-aged Imperial stouts, which for the most part have made millions of drinkers re-evaluate what beer is capable of.

But with over 2,000 craft breweries now in the UK fighting for attention, some of their concoctions are starting to test the patience of even the most ardent beer lover. If you had wandered into an East London craft beer bar in 2021, you might actually have discovered Bloody Chainsaw’s ‘pastry stout’, brewed with Oreos, peanuts, vanilla and marshmallows, or Northern Monk’s collaboration with Seabrooks that introduced prawn cocktail and cheese and onion flavoured lagers. Announced on April 1, pundits dismissed that one as an April Fool. But the April Fool was that it was real. 

How do you follow that? Well, how about a mushroom beer?

A recent report by drinks giant Diageo suggests that after over-stuffed sweet beers, the next flavour trend may be savoury and umami, particularly among younger drinkers in the thriving “low and no” alcohol sector, which is currently the fastest growing part of the beer market.

Not for the first time, I repurposed the classic line from Jurassic Park: “Your brewers were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.”

And then I thought about the flavours you get in mushrooms: nutty, earthy, sometimes bitter, sometimes gently sweet. And I thought, these are some of my favourite flavours in a well-made beer. So I did some digging (not literally). 

Mushroom beers have been knocking around in the US since around 2015. They don’t seem to have caught on widely, but those who tasted them rated them highly. British craft brewers have yet to take the plunge – with one notable exception. 

Mushroom beer might sound crazy if you start from a position of “I brew beer. What new ingredient can I throw in the mash tun today?” But if your starting point is “I’m passionate about the benefits of functional mushrooms. What would be a good way to deliver them to people?” it suddenly makes a lot more sense. 

Zoey Henderson was a consultant to the hospitality industry when the Covid pandemic hit. Suddenly there was no hospitality industry, so no consultancy, and she needed to find something else to do. 

The health benefits of functional mushrooms – different from both ‘magic mushrooms’ and edible mushrooms – have been familiar to people in the Far East for centuries. 

“I’d been taking a mushroom called Lion’s Mane in coffee for about six years – it’s a powerful anti-histamine, and really helped my hay fever” she says. “It’s bitter and nutty, with hints of cacao, like some beers. And we’re creatures of ceremony. It’s hard to remember to take your medicine. If it’s pleasurable, and part of our routine, it’s easier.” 

Zoe commissioned a brewer to create three beers, each in a style that complemented the flavour profile of a different functional mushroom. Each beer is in the booming “low and no” alcohol sector, at 0.4 to 0.5% ABV. So what do they taste like?

Well, not mushrooms. These are beers, brewed with barley and hops, with about half an ounce of mushroom in each 330ml bottle.

The Citra Pale Ale (with bitter Reishi, which may help boost immunity) has orange and lemon on the nose, and a gentle spiciness and lasting bitterness on the palate. The Lion’s Mane IPA (anti-histamine) has a definite nutty umami flavour, but balanced with chocolate and toffee. But my favourite is the Chaga Lager (Chaga is vitamin rich, and may lower cholesterol among other benefits). It’s a Belgian-style dark lager, smooth, yet with hints of chestnut, chocolate and tobacco. It’s actually a great beer in its own right. And for a low alcohol beer, it’s outstanding. Like its two siblings, it shows none of the dodgy flavours or watery body you often get in a low ABV beer – you’d never guess it was.  

I don’t know if the weird dreams afterwards were because of the mushrooms or because it was the first day of my Day January. But I do know that I will be buying these beers again. In beer, unlike some other walks of life, if something sounds a bit too weird, it’s always worth trying it just to make sure. 

From £2.80 per can, for more information and to buy, go to fungtn.com